Shattered
by shieldmaiden5678
Summary: A horrific accident leaves Helga badly injured and Arnold feeling quite guilty. During the time that Helga is recovering, they learn that they can, in fact, get along pretty well. Lousy summary is lousy.
1. Slippery Slope

The sun shone brilliantly on the red bricks of the Sunset Arms boarding house as a blonde haired lanky looking girl scampered up the fire escape ladder. She couldn't help but look a little panicked. It wasn't every day that you lost your personal journal due to your own clumsiness. Silently she cursed herself for being so stupid to not ensure that she had the precious book in her bag before she had gotten up from the tiled high school floor. As she continued to scale the ladder, Helga thought back to just an hour before.

She had been walking along the high school corridor on her way out when she had rounded a corner and smacked right into him. The one guy that she had basically filled thirty-seven volumes of poetry about, or was it thirty-eight now? When they had collided, her tote bag had flown up and its contents had been strewn on the floor mixed in with his various high school supplies. "Ugh," she had groaned as she rubbed her head.

"Oh geez, sorry Helga!" he had said in a kind voice as he offered his hand to help her up. "We've got to stop running into each other like this." A sheepish grin greeted Helga's eyes as she looked up at Arnold. Internally she melted at the sight, but she did not give away her true feelings on her face.

Swatting away his hand, she pushed herself up from the ground and gave him an annoyed sneer. "I don't need your help, Arnoldo. As you can see, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. You could make the job easier by watching where you're going though!" Arnold simply rolled his eyes and proceeded to pick his school things up from the grounded. He had gotten used to this treatment from her over the last eleven years.

Helga's hardened expression softened as she instantly regretted her reaction for the billionth time. For once she wanted to act nice to him and actually show that she was capable of love and being loved. Quietly exhaling she knelt down and threw her books and papers in to her pink tote bag, all the while avoiding eye contact with him. What she had failed to notice was that in the midst of the chaos on the floor, her small pale pink journal had gotten mixed in with Arnold's books.

Once she got up, she dashed off and out the double doors at the end of the hall without giving Arnold a second look. He remained standing in the middle of the hall, looking on at her quickly disappearing figure as he stuffed the remainder of his things in his messenger bag.

It wasn't until she got home that she realized that the journal was missing. She had let out an ear piercing shriek of dismay and horror at the conclusion and hadn't wasted a moment running to the boarding house in a panic. Which brought her back to her current predicament: how to sneak into Arnold's room and obtain the journal without running into him or anyone else in the boarding house for that matter.

She finally reached the platform beneath his window and quickly flattened herself along the brick wall. Cautiously she leaned her head out and peered in through the window. She quickly recoiled her head back in alarm when she saw Arnold sitting in front of his computer with his back turned. He was surely working on his homework from that day, and knowing him he would probably be there until his grandmother had dinner ready which by her calculations could be another two hours. Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. Several seconds later she had inputted the number of the one person she knew she could always depend on in a jam, Phoebe.

"Hello?"

"Pheebs! I need you to do something for me!"

"Uh, sure Helga. What is it?"

"Don't ask why, but I need you to go to Arnold's house and keep him distracted for five minutes."

"On it," Phoebe said in a chipper voice before hanging up. A small smile appeared on Helga's face. If it wasn't for her small friend, she didn't know what she would do sometimes.

Ten minutes later, she saw Phoebe's small form appear on the sidewalk running as quickly as she could to the Sunset Arms. She rapidly came to a stop when she made eye contact with Helga and shot her a terse look. Helga gave her a nervous smile in return and shrugged her shoulders guiltily. Shaking her head, Phoebe continued to the front door of the building and rang the doorbell. There was a few moments of silence, then, "Arnold! Get down here! You've got a friend here!" Helga sighed in relief at the sound of Phil's voice echoing throughout the building. She peered through the window again to see that Arnold was getting up from the computer chair and leaving the room.

Once the door had clicked shut behind him, Helga wasted no time in opening the window and climbing through. Cautiously she tread across his room towards the chair he had just vacated where his messenger bag lay on the floor. In a flurry she dumped out the contents and vigorously searched through them for her beloved journal that held her innermost secret. She finally found it underneath his biology textbook and hugged it close to her chest. Quickly she got up from the floor and dashed across his room back to the open window, where she proceeded to maneuver her way back out. However, when she was halfway out she heard the bedroom door squeak open.

"What the…Helga?" Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized that Phoebe had not been able to keep Arnold preoccupied long enough. Summoning her strength, she shoved the rest of herself out the window and proceeded to run to the ladder as her pink ribbon tied pony tail swung behind her. Arnold leapt out the window swiftly, having used it as an exit many times before. "Helga, wait!" he yelled out as she swung herself on to the ladder and began the descent down with the journal held in her right hand. Arnold reached the edge of the ladder and shouted at her again to wait.

Sweat dripped down Helga's face and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Even if she did manage to escape, she would have to explain herself somehow later on. As she was coming up with viable explanations in her head, she lost her footing about halfway down the ladder. Her sweaty hand slipped off the ladder and she fell backwards, the journal flying up in the air above her. She attempted to reach out for the ladder as she plummeted down, but it was in vain. A high pitched scream that she recognized as Phoebe's reached her ears as Arnold yelled out her name in horror while reaching his hand out in a fruitless attempt to catch her outstretched hands. Before she hit the ground, her blue eyes met his terror-stricken green ones. Then her head smacked against the pavement and everything fell to black.


	2. Blood on the Pavement

In a flash, Phoebe had her cell phone out and had dialed 911 as she dashed over to where Helga's figure lay on the hard pavement. Arnold slid down the ladder and leapt down next to her. The sight of blood spreading out from beneath her head and saturating her golden hair with it's deep red color made him feel a little light headed. He exhaled a little in relief once his eyes set on her chest and saw that it still heaved up and down in a steady motion. She was still alive, so that was a start. As he knelt down, he ripped off a piece of his flannel shirt and placed his hand underneath her head.

"Yes it's a big red build- DON'T MOVE HER!" Phoebe snapped at him in a terse voice once she saw him attempting to lift her head up. He immediately froze in place and gulped while looking up at the small Asian girl in fear. She returned to her conversation with the 911 dispatcher, however her eyes never left Arnold.

Once she had clicked her phone shut, she kneeled down next to Helga on the opposite end from Arnold. "You can NOT move her body at all! You could risk further injury, especially if you move her neck! What if she has vertebral fractures? You could paralyze her, if she isn't already…" her scolding voice trailed off at this realization.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to get some form of pressure on that bleed before she loses too much blood!" Arnold responded in a slightly panicked voice.

Phoebe took a deep breath and then exhaled as she tried her best to remain calm. She knew that she would have to take the lead on the situation at hand if they were to get through the next few minutes before the paramedics arrived. "Listen to me very carefully, Arnold. I'm going to hold her head steady, and I want you to slide that cloth underneath her head then apply pressure once you believe you have located the bleed. Can you do that?" Arnold nodded once in affirmation as Phoebe scooted to the end of Helga's head. "Okay, on my count. One, two, three." Phoebe held Helga's head steady as Arnold carefully slid the flannel beneath her head. He felt around with his hand until he found the bleed, then pushed the cloth against it. Phoebe kept her hands on either side of Helga's head, afraid that even the slightest shift would cause more damage to her already fragile friend.

The two teenagers sat in silence as they watched Helga and hoped that she would open her eyes before the paramedics arrived. "I can't believe I startled her like that," Arnold said in a small shaky voice as he looked over at Phoebe with guilt-ridden eyes.

"It wasn't your fault," she responded with a shake of her head. "I'm sure it was surprising to see her clambering out of your window."

"Do you know why she was in my room…again?"

Phoebe shook her head vigorously from side to side as she tried to withhold her tears. "All she said to me was to come over and distract you. She refused to say wh-" At that moment her eyes fell on the pale pink book that Helga had been holding before falling off the ladder. Instantly she recognized it as her friend's journal and a gasp escaped from her. "Of course!" she exclaimed as she motioned to Arnold to look behind him. He saw the pink book and instantly understood why Helga had snuck into his room.

"That must have mixed in with my books when we collided earlier today," he groaned as he cast his gaze downwards on to Helga's body. He hadn't really realized how broken she had looked when he had first landed next to her, but now he saw everything. Her right arm was laid out in a position that seemed unnatural and her right ankle clearly appeared broken. He was also certain that her right shoulder had popped out of its socket. A shudder went through his body as he pulled at his shirt collar with his free hand. "She's going to be all right, isn't she?" he nervously inquired.

Phoebe sighed as she too took in the damage with her own bespectacled eyes. "I…I honestly don't know Arnold. She fell from about a story high, so by my estimation that's about ten feet. She's definitely going to have some fractures, but we won't know about any internal damage until she gets to the hospital. Where are those paramedics?" She groaned in frustration.

"Holy toledo, Arnold! What the heck happened?" Arnold looked up to see his grandfather rushing to them from the sidewalk.

"She…fell from the ladder while trying to run." Phil nodded, requiring no further explanation from his grandson. He understood even more than Arnold why Helga acted the way she did. "Well, it seems like you both have a handle on the situation. You called the paramedics already, right?"

"Of course!" Phoebe shot in an annoyed tone.

Phil held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa, I don't doubt that you take care of your friend, Phoebe. I'm just double checking that they're coming. I'll go wait at the sidewalk and flag them down when they arrive."

"Thanks, grandpa," Arnold said with a weak smile. Once Phil had returned to the sidewalk, Arnold's smile disappeared only to be replaced with a worried look. A debilitated moan caused Arnold and Phoebe's attention to rapidly shift back to Helga. Arnold let out a shaky breath as he saw Helga's eyelids slowly open and close a few times.

"Urgh," she groaned as she attempted to move.

"Helga, don't!" Phoebe sharply commanded as she continued to hold her head steady between her hands. Both teens became a little relieved at the sight of movement as it was proof enough to them that she wasn't paralyzed.

"What…what happened?" Helga asked as she regained consciousness.

"Don't you remember?" Arnold said. Helga's blank look answered his question for him.

"Event amnesia," Phoebe quietly murmured. "It happens with some head injuries. Let's hope that's all she has forgotten. Helga, do you know who we are?"

"Of course I do, Phoebe!" she snapped in her usual tone. "What is the football head doing here anyways?" Phoebe chuckled a little as she calmly told her friend that she would explain later. Abruptly, Helga let out a piercing shriek of pain as the shock of the situation began to wear off. It was at this same moment that the ambulance pulled up with its wailing siren. Arnold had never been more relieved in his life when he saw the paramedics run up to them with a gurney trailing behind them.

"Good work, kids. We'll take it from here," said a fit looking female paramedic as she knelt down on the ground next to Helga, who continued to scream out. In a flash, the paramedics had placed a c-collar on her neck as well as makeshift splints on her right arm and ankle. They then slid her on a backboard, placed a pressure dressing on her scalp, and lifter her on to the gurney before rapidly wheeling her off to the back of the ambulance. Before leaving to rejoin her team, the female paramedic turned back to the teens and tersely said, "Look, I can only take one of you in the ambulance. The other's just going to have to meet us at Hillwood University Medical Center's emergency room. So decide now who it's going to be." Arnold and Phoebe, who had stood up during the flurry of action and had moved to the brick wall of the boarding house, quickly looked at each other.

"You should go, you're her best friend. She needs you now," Arnold said curtly.

"Arnold…"

"There's no question about it! Go! I'll meet you there." Phoebe gave him a small grateful smile before turning and dashing towards the ambulance. Arnold stood in the alleyway as the ambulance pulled away with the sirens howling through the crisp evening air. Slowly he leaned down and picked up the pink journal, being careful not to open it as he didn't want to violate Helga's privacy. Once he had turned back around, his grandfather walked up to him and pulled him into a much needed hug.

"You really handled that well, Shortman," he said as he comfortingly rubbed his back. As they pulled apart, Phil could see that a few tears had streamed down Arnold's face.

"She didn't deserve to fall, grandpa. I know that she can be mean and nasty, but she didn't deserve to have that happen to her. No one does," he mumbled.

"It happened, Arnold, and that's all there is to it. Now all you can do is be there for her, because you and Phoebe are all she's got and it's going to be a long road." Phil smiled down at his grandson who returned it with one of his own. Arnold was always thankful for his grandfather's pieces of wisdom. "Now get moving! I'll call her parents and let them know what happened. You just get there and help out any way you can." Without another moment's hesitation, Arnold dashed off to the green Packard and drove off, hoping that Helga's injuries weren't too horrific.


	3. Waiting

Helga shrieked as the ambulance sped over a bump in the city road, causing piercing pain to shoot throughout her body. The muffled sound of the siren wail could be heard inside the back of the ambulance. On her left hand side sitting on a makeshift bench was Phoebe. She gave Helga's left hand a gentle squeeze as she tried to remain calm for her best friend.

"Okay, kid, I'm going to need you let go of your friend's hand for a minute so I can get this IV started on her," the female paramedic said in a kind tone. Phoebe nodded as she released her friend's hand and allowed the paramedic, whom she had learned was called Mira, to position herself near the arm. She was astounded at how quickly Mira got the line started and how she managed to remain calm so effortlessly in this tense situation. Once the IV was in place, Mira took a syringe and flushed the line with some saline. She then grabbed a vial, snapped it open, stuck a clean needle in, and drew up some of the liquid within.

"What's that?" Phoebe inquired curiously as Helga continued to writhe in pain on the gurney.

Mira looked over at her with a smile as she stuck the needle into the port of the IV and pushed the liquid in. "It's Morphine. It'll help a great deal with the pain your friend is currently experiencing." Phoebe gave her a grateful smile as she once again grasped Helga's hand. Mira continued bustling around Helga as she told Phoebe,"We'll be arriving at the emergency room soon. Now I'm going to forewarn you, a lot is going to happen in a short amount of time. Your friend is what we call a Code Green, basically a trauma code. She'll undergo a very thorough physical examination and then be whisked away for full body imaging at CT. You won't be able to stay with her once we get there. We'll have to have you go to the waiting room and stay there. The doctor in charge of her case will update you once they know anything. Do you understand?"

"Yes, completely," Phoebe responded. "Thank you, all of you." Mira and the other two paramedics in the back of the ambulance grinned at her, then returned to their work of making sure Helga was comfortable. "Don't worry, Helga. You're going to be okay," Phoebe said in a comforting tone to her friend as she ran a hand over Helga's forehead in a soothing manner.

"Thanks for being here, Pheebs," Helga murmured as the Morphine began to work its magic. The ambulance rolled up into the ambulance bay of the Hillwood University Emergency Room. Once it had come to a complete stop, Mira threw the backdoors open and the other two paramedics leapt out. Together they wheeled out Helga on the gurney and ran her into the emergency room with Phoebe trailing closely behind. She entered the emergency room just as they were wheeling Helga into a large trauma room where a team of at least five medical professionals consisting of a doctor, several nurses, an ER tech, and a radiology tech greeted her. One of the paramedics launched into a brief summary of the fall that had occurred just under an hour ago. Mira came running back out once they had transferred Helga to the gurney in the room. Phoebe was able to see the physician and nurses approach a nervous looking Helga and begin to hurriedly cut her clothes off before Mira shut the curtain behind her.

"Here, I'll lead you to the waiting room," Mira told Phoebe. The two quickly walked through the emergency room past rooms filled with patients suffering from various ailments. Phoebe averted her eyes from the different rooms as she didn't want to infringe on anyone's privacy as well as see something even more traumatizing than the broken body of her friend. It didn't take them long to reach a pair of doors that Mira opened up to reveal a beige walled room filled with plastic pastel colored chairs. A TV showing the local news hung from one of the corners of the wall that people with different physical complaints watched as they waited to be called and triaged.

"Okay, Phoebe, this is where I leave you. Like I said, once they know something, the doctor should be out to update you and whomever else this concerns. Hope everything turns out all right." With a quick squeeze of her shoulder and a small smile of assurance, Mira turned and headed back into the emergency room. Phoebe exhaled and headed to an abandoned corner of the waiting room, sinking into a sickly pink colored plastic chair. At this point, her emotions overcame her and she let out a small, shaky sob. A few tears streamed down her cheeks and she huddled up into a ball of sorrow. There was nothing more she could do for her best friend. Everything was in the hands of the medical staff of the emergency room.

After several moments of quiet sobbing, Phoebe felt someone sit next to her. She perked her head up to see Arnold sitting on her right hand side with a guilt ridden face. From his face she could tell that he too had had his fair share of tears. Without warning Arnold enveloped Phoebe's small frame in his arms and rested his head on her shoulder. This caused Phoebe to completely break down and weep openly. She could feel several pairs of eyes watching them in the waiting room, but she didn't care who saw her breakdown anymore. Phoebe had never felt more helpless in her life as Arnold gave her as reassuring a squeeze as he could. As she continued to bawl into Arnold's shoulder, she felt something wet go down the back of her sweater. She realized that she was not alone in her lament which caused her to feel grateful to have someone their to help shoulder the weight of this emotionally trying event.

The two friends broke apart when they heard a frantic voice shout from the entrance of the waiting room, "Where is she? Where's Helga?" They instantly recognized it as Bob Pataki and both teens confirmed this as they snapped up their heads in the direction of the entrance. Bob saw them and immediately rushed to them with Miriam in tow. "Tell me where Helga is now!"

"She's in the back. They're working on her, Mr. Pataki. They said they'll update us once they know something," Phoebe responded in a small, quiet voice.

"I can't believe this," Bob said in a defeated voice as he joined the teens on the plastic chairs as Miriam sat beside him. She placed her hands on Bob's arm and leaned against him.

"She's strong, Bob. I'm sure she'll make it through," Miriam commented, however she didn't look absolutely certain about her statement. For once Phoebe noticed that she appeared completely sober. The four of them sat in silence as they each contemplated the situation at hand. Phoebe wrung her hands as she tried to keep her mind off all the terrible possibilities that could occur while Arnold silently continued to curse himself for spooking Helga the way he did. Bob and Miriam sat intently staring at the door leading into the emergency room, awaiting any news that the doctor would bring forth.

"Hey, Arnold, Phoebe," Bob said, breaking the silence and causing the two teens to look over at him. "Thanks for, you know, being there for her. It really means a lot that there are people out there that Helga can depend on. I know that we're not the best parents, but it doesn't mean we care any less about her."

"Thanks, Mr. Pataki," Arnold replied with a half smile while Phoebe gave a tiny nod before returning her focus to her hands.

"And, Arnold."

"Yes, Mr. Pataki?"

"Be sure to thank the old man for me." Arnold gave Bob a nod then looked over at Phoebe and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked her. Phoebe gave a quick shake of her head. "Come on, let's go outside. Maybe some fresh air will do us some good."

"No. If we miss the doctor's report, I won't be able to sleep a wink," Phoebe responded tersely.

"Okay, do you want to at least give Gerald a call?" Phoebe looked over at Arnold in surprise as Arnold gave her a knowing grin. "He told me you two were dating about a week after you guys started going out." A pale shade of red flushed over Phoebe's cheeks as she gave a tiny laugh.

"Oh, Gerald. I knew he wouldn't be able to keep it secret for long," she said in a quiet, amused voice while pulling out her cell phone at the same time. Arnold gave her a small pat on the back before leaning back in the chair and resting his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and attempted to remove himself from the situation mentally. If there was something permanently wrong with Helga, he would never be able to forgive himself.


	4. Results and Thoughts

A little over an hour passed before a tall lab coat wearing woman with long brown hair pulled back into a low hanging ponytail swept through the double doors of the emergency room into the waiting room. "Can I see those here for Helga Pataki?" she announced. Immediately Bob, Miriam, Phoebe, Arnold, and Gerald, who had arrived only a few moments after Phoebe's call to him, jumped up from their seats and rushed over to the physician. "I'm Dr. Sampson. Come with me," she said with an emotionless face. Silently they followed her down a hall and into a white washed room with a single table in the center surrounded by eight cushioned chairs. They each took a chair on either side of the table as the physician sat herself down at the end.

"Let me start by saying that even though her mechanism of injury was quite traumatic, Helga is going to be fine." Everyone in the room simultaneously let out a huge sigh of relief. "Now that doesn't necessarily mean that her recovery is going to be easy. She certainly does have some injuries and some of them aren't very pretty. So let me get everything out first and then I will address your questions," the physician stated in a serious tone. Everyone in the room nodded in understanding, then focused intently on the doctor as she detailed Helga's various injuries.

From what Arnold heard, he understood that Helga had no internal brain injuries nor any fractures of her skull. However there was a small fracture of her cervical spine that had not led to any spinal cord damage. There was also a dislocation of her right shoulder as he had suspected as well as a fracture of her distal radius and ulna and of her tibia and fibula. She also had several posterior rib fractures and a large laceration to the back of her school that Dr. Sampson had stapled back together after controlling the bleeding. He was not surprised to find out that there were no injuries to the left side of her body. The doctor then stated that Helga would have to undergo surgery in order to repair her radius and ulna fractures as they required hardware placement for proper healing. Helga's shoulder had already been put back in place and there were no internal organs damaged based on the CT reports.

"That's all the injuries that we were able to find," concluded Dr. Sampson. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Several moments of silence passed in the room as everyone soaked in the information. Dr. Sampson waited patiently with her hands folded on top of the table. "So, Helga is going to be staying in the hospital?" inquired Miriam in an unsteady voice once she had regained her composure.

"That's correct, Mrs. Pataki. As I stated before, she will be undergoing surgery with our orthopedist, Dr. Petruk. Does she have a primary physician?" Bob and Miriam shook their heads in reply. "That's all right, we'll just have our hospitalist admit her. I believe Dr. Martin is on today. He's very good and will take good care of Helga during her stay."

"How long is the recovery?" Bob asked.

"She will be in the hospital for at least a week, if not a little more. After that she will require routine follow ups with the orthopedist to ensure that her fractures are healing properly as well as physical therapy sessions. These will all be coordinated with you prior to her discharge from the hospital."

Arnold looked over at Dr. Sampson before asking, "So…so she is going to be all right then?" Dr. Sampson gave him a nod with a kind smile. Arnold slumped back in his seat in relief, glad to have final confirmation that Helga would make a full recovery.

"Can we see her?" Phoebe eagerly asked as Gerald wrapped his arm around her protectively.

"Of course, but I can only allow you to go in a few at a time. It seems fitting that her parents would get to see her first. Mr. and Mrs. Pataki, if there are no further questions I'd be happy to take you to see her." Immediately, Bob and Miriam leapt up from their chairs and disappeared arm in arm out of the room behind the doctor.

Silence returned to the room as the teens sat quietly, then Gerald commented, "I always knew she was one tough chick!" This caused the three of them to break out into peals of laughter. If a fall of that height couldn't completely break Helga, nothing could.

"I'm just glad to know that she's going to be okay," Phoebe said with a smile after they had stopped laughing.

"Yea," murmured Arnold in agreement. Gerald looked over at his best friend with concern, then stood up and came around the table to sit next to him.

"Look, man, you're blaming yourself for something that you didn't cause. It was just an unfortunate event and it isn't your fault. Stop being so hard on yourself!"

"I can't help it, Gerald! I'm the one who startled her and caused her to go down the ladder too quickly and lose her grip! I should have handled the situation better, then she wouldn't have gotten so hurt!"

Gerald peered over at Phoebe who merely silently told him to be a little more gentler with his friend. He sighed as he placed his hand on Arnold's shoulder while Arnold hung his head in dejection. "I still don't believe you should feel that way, but we're all here for you if you need us. What happened happened Arnold, and there's no changing that."

"Maybe you could help her with her recovery, Arnold," Phoebe piped, causing Gerald to shoot her a stern look. If there was one thing they disagreed on, it was Helga and how much Arnold should be involved with her. Gerald still vehemently felt that Helga should become a nicer person before spending anymore time with Arnold while Phoebe felt that Arnold needed to be a stronger force in Helga's life in order for her to learn how to change.

"I…I don't know, Phoebe. Who's to say she's going to want anyone's help," Arnold replied.

"She may not want it, Arnold," Phoebe said tersely. "But that doesn't mean that she's not going to need it." Arnold sighed before nodding his head in agreement.

"You're right, Phoebe. I'll be sure to help out however I can then." Phoebe beamed at him and Arnold returned it. When Arnold got up to go to the cafeteria and grab everyone a coffee, Gerald sauntered back over to his girlfriend with a disconcerting expression on his face.

"Phoebe, are you crazy? You know those two are only going to fight and get hurt in the end, right?"

Phoebe shot him a glare as she crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. "I know those two can get along, I've seen it, Gerald, and so have you. You don't know Helga the way I do because you never take the time to truly get to know her."

"That's because she doesn't give me the chance! She always calls me stupid names and gets me all worked up for no good reason!" He threw his arms up in frustration then leaned back in the chair with his feet propped up on the table.

"I think this is the perfect opportunity for them to interact, Gerald. Helga's going to need a lot of help in the coming months and Arnold is willing to help her-"

"Only because you suggested it!" Gerald interjected.

"He would have helped out regardless. That's who Arnold is. Anyways, Gerald, listen to me. The only reason Helga acts the way she does is because she fears being rejected. You can never tell her I told you that by the way. With her being in this situation, she's going to have to let her defenses down a little bit, and a little is all that Arnold needs to break through and really interact with her true self. Do you understand me?" Gerald sat staring wide eyed at his serious looking girlfriend.

"You are one crazy woman sometimes, Phoebe," Gerald managed to croak out. Phoebe only gave him a bright smile and a triumphant little squeak which made him melt a little inside. "Man, you are too cute." This caused a pink tinge to return to Phoebe's cheeks. Their conversation ended once Arnold re-entered the room with two trays holding five cups of steaming coffee. Gerald and Phoebe thanked him as he handed them their respective cups before sitting down to sup his own. It wasn't much longer after that that Bob and Miriam returned. They gave Arnold a grateful look as he handed them each a cup of coffee as well.

"How's she doing?" Arnold asked once the Patakis had seated themselves.

"She's doing fine, but she's definitely sleepy thanks to all of the pain medication. They kept the collar around her neck and they've got her leg elevated and her right arm in a new splint," reported Miriam in a calm voice.

"I'm just glad that she isn't worse off. She's definitely got the Pataki strength, that's for sure!" boomed Bob before he took another sip of his coffee. "Anyways, they're going to take her upstairs in the next few hours. It's starting to get late and we don't think she'll be awake much longer. We're going to head home and come back in tomorrow to see her. You kids are welcome to visit, too." Smiling at the teens in a rare show of kindness, Bob stood up and assisted Miriam to a standing position. The Patakis then left the room and headed home.

"Well, I guess you and Gerald should go see her then," Arnold stated. Phoebe stood and went to go to Helga's bedside with Gerald reluctantly following behind her with a slight show of grimace. Arnold knew that Gerald liked to keep his interactions with Helga to a minimum, but he hoped for Phoebe's sake that he would put aside their differences at least for tonight.

Arnold sat in silence while drinking the hot beverage, musing over the occurrences of the day. He knew that even though Helga's parents were concerned with her well being right now, they might not be committed to helping her completely over the next few months. Sure they would be there for a little while, but everything would be sure to return to normal soon enough and she would once again be on her own. He knew that Bob would again put his work before family and Miriam would soon return to the alcohol that she had so long taken refuge in. He sighed despondently and thought about how the next few months would affect him. He was fine with helping Helga through this difficult time as it was certainly something he wanted to do, however he hoped that she would be all right with him becoming a larger part of her life. Softly he chuckled to himself as he realized how ridiculous a thought that was. She would be fine with him being involved more, the real question was would she be willing to let on to that fact. Arnold wasn't as dense as he was when he was a boy, and he at the very least knew that Helga didn't necessarily mean all the horrid things she said to him. He understood that she was truly a caring and kind person, but for the life of him he still couldn't get why she wouldn't let him past her defenses.

Reaching into his jean pocket, he pulled out her small pink journal and set it on the table before him. He stared intently at the book and wondered what secrets of her's it held. Surely if he were to give in to temptation, he would find all the answers he ever wanted and more written inside on those worn pages. He retracted his outstretched hand and silently reprimanded himself for even thinking of invading her privacy. With some time and care, he was sure he would find the answers he was seeking.

A quick rap on the door woke him from his thoughts and he turned to find a smiling Phoebe standing in the doorframe with a disgruntled Gerald next to her. "Arnold, you can go visit her if you'd like. She's doing all right," she kindly said. Arnold got up and grinned as he walked by her.

Before he left the couple, he turned to Gerald and went, "You did behave yourself, right?"

"Yea man, I wasn't about to get into a row with someone as physically broken as Helga." Arnold could have sworn that Gerald wiped a tear from his eyes. He smiled at Gerald, knowing that no matter how much he refused to admit it, he did care a little for his girlfriend's best friend


	5. A Time for Change

As Arnold walked through the emergency room towards Helga's room, he couldn't help but feel even more melancholy. Here he was walking past people in pain and sorrow and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it. He tried his best to shrug it off, but nothing seemed to assuage his thoughts. One thing was certain to him and that was he never wanted to be in an emergency room again.

He approached a large curtained off room that had a lavender placard on the wall by it that read Trauma Room 2. Knowing he was in the right place, he took a deep breath and pushed back the curtain to find Helga sitting propped up in a hospital bed with her right leg elevated on a stack of pillows and her right arm in a sling that immobilized it and pressed it against her chest. Her head was swathed in bandages and her golden hair lay neatly around her shoulders. He noticed a few strands were still stained with blood, however no other evidence remained of her bloody gash. Arnold thought to himself that they must have changed the sheets and cleaned the room before allowing her visitors to come in. Her covers were pulled up to her waist and she wore a blue and white hospital gown. Arnold noticed a clear plastic bag hanging off the side of the bed with a tube coming out from it and going underneath the covers. It didn't take him long to realize that the yellow fluid that was gradually filling the bag was urine.

Arnold made a small cough, causing Helga to stir in the bed and shift her head towards him. Her eyes widened upon making contact with his and she sharply took a breath. "Hey, Helga," Arnold said with an awkward wave.

"What're you doing here, football head?" Helga responded acidly. Arnold let out a mildly frustrated groan and furrowed his brow. Even when she was as badly broken as she was now, she still treated him like dirt.

"Helga, seriously, drop the act. I'm here to make sure that you're okay and to help you get through this."

Helga snorted. "Gee, Arnoldo, why ever would you care? It's not like I fell off your ladder or anything. Oh wait, I did." She narrowed her eyes at him, then turned away in a huff.

"Look, I don't know what you were doing in my room again or anything, but I'm really sorry that I startled you! You have got to believe me on that," Arnold desperately stated. He only got silence in return as Helga remained motionless. Walking towards her, he pulled out the pink journal and tossed it on her lap before sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "I believe you were there for this."

Helga looked down at the small book and gasped upon realizing what it was. "How…how did you get this?" she said in a trembling voice as she grasped the book with a shaky hand.

"I think it got mixed up in my things when we collided into each other at school. Do you remember that?"

Helga thought back to earlier in the day, but all she got was a worsening of her headache and a few blurred images of the collision. "It's all really hazy, but I vaguely remember it," she commented as she took the journal and placed it on her bedside table. With a sudden realization, she spun around and shouted, "You didn't look in it, did you?"

Arnold threw his hands up and quickly shook his head. "No! I'll admit I was tempted to, considering…well never mind. But no, Helga, I didn't look through your journal." She eyed him suspiciously for another moment before deciding to believe him. Her shoulders sagged and she collapsed back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and silently thanking whatever higher being existed for Arnold being so respectful of her privacy. She didn't know how she would have handled the situation if he had indeed read her innermost thoughts and secrets written within the journal.

A period of awkward silence passed between the two before Arnold asked, "So, how're you feeling?"

"Well, they're taking me to surgery tomorrow morning which means I'll have a tube down my throat for most of the day. After that I'll be under the influence of a lot of pain medication and eventually they're going to have to wean me off that medication and that will probably be excruciating at some points. So I guess I'll go with peachy. I'm peachy, Arnoldo," Helga responded sardonically with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm really sorry again, Helga. Honestly, I never would have wanted anything like this to happen to you."

This caught Helga off guard. The fact that he didn't want harm to come to her made her inwardly swoon and her heart swell with joy. She tried to suppress the flushed feeling she felt coming to her face, but it was in vain. Without looking at him, she whispered in astonishment, "You really didn't want something like this to happen to me, even though I'm mean and nasty to you all the time?"

"No, and you're not mean to me all the time. It's more like ninety percent of the time. I do wish it would change though. Maybe we could take this as a wake up call and be more civil to each other?" Helga perked her head up and looked over at him, trying to see if he was joking.

Once she had concluded that he was, in fact, entirely serious about it, she said, "I guess I could try to be nicer to you. I mean it's the least I could do since you are going to be helping me, right?"

"I did say something along those lines, yes. And I'm going to be helping you because I want to help you, Helga." Arnold beamed up at her, causing her to melt. She couldn't help but love his smile. She returned it with a small smile of her own, which made Arnold feel quite happy. He always enjoyed the small moments when Helga broke down her wall and let him creep inside a little. Maybe these next few months would be the thing he needed in order to show Helga that she could open the gates and let him in fully.

A blonde haired nurse poked her head in and said, "Hey, I'm going to need you to clear out of here. We're taking her up to her inpatient room and she's going to need all the rest she can get." Arnold nodded at the nurse, then looked back at Helga.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll be back tomorrow to check in on you." He stood up from the chair and leaned down to give Helga a gentle hug. Shocked at this sudden personal act of kindness, Helga let out a small squeak and stiffened. Arnold chuckled a little at her reaction as he stood back up and headed towards the curtained off entry way with a small wave.

"Hey, Arnold," Helga said in a small voice that made Arnold stop in his tracks. "Thanks for, you know, helping back at the boarding house and being here now. It…it really means a lot to me." She chewed her lip nervously and looked down at the palms of her hands after she finished saying this. Arnold grinned and nodded in her direction, then swept the curtain aside and left.

Leaning back against the bed, Helga sighed and silently gloated over what had just transpired. "If I can truly be nice, then maybe, just maybe, things can change," she thought to herself as the world around her began to fade. The visitations from everyone, especially Arnold, had taken a lot of energy from her and she was starting to feel it. It wasn't long before she had given in to the dreamless sleep that beckoned to her with outstretched arms.


	6. Break It Down

Several days went by where Arnold didn't return to the hospital. He didn't think he would be able to handle seeing Helga lying helpless in a hospital bed, especially after Phoebe told him on the first day of her admission that she had been intubated for the surgery. The tube had since been removed, but he knew that it was an image that he didn't want burned into his mind.

It was the evening of the fourth day since the accident and Arnold sat at the dinner table with his grandparents. Aimlessly he fiddled with the green peas and corn mix his grandmother had prepared while his grandparents looked on with concern. Finally, Gertie motioned to Phil to help his grandson with whatever conundrum was filling his mind.

"Everything okay, Shortman?" Phil ventured in a calm voice.

Sighing he slumped his shoulders, then went back to fiddling with his food with a melancholy expression as he somberly responded, "Everything's fine, Grandpa."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your friend with the one eyebrow, would it?"

Arnold dropped his spoon on the plate with a clang and sat up in his chair, startled from his thoughts. He then peered over at his grandfather, who was smiling with a grin that told Arnold he knew much more than Arnold could ever hope to. "I just can't bring myself to go visit her at the hospital. I know I should, but seeing her like that after the accident…it was tough. I don't know if I'll be able to put on a strong enough face for her, especially after what Phoebe's told me about what she's going through." He exhaled slowly, then pushed his chair away from the table.

Phil placed his hand comfortingly over his grandson's and said, "She needs you more than ever, Shortman. I told you this already. You've got to be there for her." Arnold hung his head in dejection then shook it back and forth in frustration with himself.

"I know, I know, Grandpa. I'll visit her first thing in the morning. For now, though, I think I'll give Phoebe a call and see how the day went." Arnold gave his grandfather a thankful smile before standing up and departing from the table.

Once he was back up in his room, he grabbed his remote and flipped open his bright red couch. He then leapt up into the air and landed with a bounce upon it. Grabbing his phone, he quickly dialed in Phoebe's number. It only took two rings for her to pick up.

"Hey, Arnold!" Phoebe brightly greeted through the speaker.

"Hey. How'd today go?"

"Well, Helga's doing much better. They've moved her out of ICU and put her in a regular patient ward. She has a private patient room and she's wide awake and pain free. I'm actually with her at the moment. We're watching 'Pride and Prejudice' right now. Would you like to talk to her?"

"Erm, no that's okay Phoebe," Arnold said in a bit of a shaky voice as he pulled at his shirt collar, noticing that he had become a little warmer for no apparent reason. "Tell her I'll be in to visit tomorrow."

"Oh fantastic! I'm sure she'll be happy to see you!"

"Great! Um, well, night Phoebe!"

"Night, Arnold!" Phoebe clicked her cell phone shut and looked over at Helga who wore a panic stricken expression.

"He's coming to visit?" she said in disbelief. Phoebe gave her an affirmative nod and cheeky grin.

"He said he would, Helga. I don't understand why you're so surprised."

"No, I know, Pheebs! Sheesh!" snapped Helga. "It's just, I'm worried how I'm going to act. I wasn't exactly Miss Goody Two Shoes towards him in the emergency room several days ago."

"You were exhausted, in pain, and had just gone through a traumatic event. I'm sure he understood."

"We did agree to try and be nicer to each other," Helga mused. Her eyes flitted to the television screen where the handsome Darcy was professing his love to Lizzie in the rain, one of her favorite scenes. The moment when he finally let down his guard and truly told Lizzie how he felt always struck a chord with Helga, especially how the whole thing went to waste initially thanks to his prejudice and her pride. Silently, Helga thought to herself whether she should allow her heart to finally come before her pride.

"You really ought to hold to that agreement," Phoebe softly said as she paused the movie on Darcy's rain stained face. Helga nodded then turned her head to look down at her friend sitting next to her bed.

"Well, there is one thing we can agree on right now at least."

"What's that, Helga?"

"Darcy is pretty freaking hot in this scene." Both girls broke out in a huge fit of laughter then continued to watch the movie, confident that the tides were changing.

Sunlight poured into Helga's room the next afternoon, making her wish that she was able to walk across the room to close the blinds. Unfortunately, her right leg remained elevated and the nurse was not responding no matter how many times she mashed the call button with her palm. She finally gave up and tossed the bed remote against the wall behind her in frustration. Slamming back against her pillows, she stared up at the ceiling and became lost in her thoughts.

She wondered if she should just come right out and tell Arnold the whole truth about everything, from what was in her journal to her true feelings about him. Silently she reprimanded herself for thinking of doing something so extreme and reminded herself that it was entirely likely that he would reject her. Sighing, she reached into her bedside table drawer and pulled out her golden locket which she had updated with his most recent high school photo. She smiled as she traced her finger along his face and soaked in his emerald green eyes and adorable half smile.

A quick knock at her door caused her to toss the locket back in the drawer in a hurry and slam it before running her hand through her golden locks. "Come in," she said in a voice she hoped didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

The door opened to reveal the same boy that she had just seen in her locket photo, holding a bouquet of brilliantly white daisies and daffodils that made Helga's breath catch in her throat.

"Hi," Arnold said with a grin. "I brought you some flowers." He strode over to her bedside and set the bouquet down gingerly on the bedside table.

"Thanks," Helga said as she continued to gaze at the bouquet in astonishment. Inwardly she swooned at the realization that Arnold had brought her, Helga Pataki, a stunning bouquet of flowers. She became a little light-headed and gripped the side of her bed in order to steady herself.

"Are you all right?" Arnold asked, having noticed Helga's unsteadiness.

"As all right as I'm going to be, football head," she snapped defensively as she leaned back in the bed and placed her left arm across her lap. Her right arm remained strapped in a shoulder immobilizer. Arnold shot her a terse look, yet she only rolled her eyes and turned away from him.

"Look, we agreed to try and be more civil. Maybe you could do your part in this seeing as how I'm doing mine," Arnold said curtly as he sat down in the lounge chair beside her bed. Helga remained with her back facing him, wanting nothing more than to gush to him about how happy she was that he was there and that he had brought her flowers of all things. Yet her defensive mechanisms rose up and refused to let her do that due to her crippling fear of his rejection.

"Gee Arnoldo, get a grip! I'm trying, okay? You have got to give me some time to get the hang of this 'being kind and gooey' thing. Got it, bucko?" Arnold gulped as he looked in her blue eyes filled with so many mixed emotions that he wish he could fully sort through. He definitely saw the annoyance and frustration that she wanted him to see, but there was something else there that she was trying so desperately to hide. Dread? Happiness?

Without warning he stood up and walked over to the other side of her bed where he firmly grasped her left arm, causing her to let out an audible gasp and widen her eyes in surprise at his unexpected forcefulness. "Helga, I'm only going to say this once. I know that you are truly a good, gentle, and kind person, and I like that about you. Actually, I really like that about you. I am so sick and tired of you pushing me away though for no good reason." His grip loosened on her wrist as he moved his hands down to enclosed her hand gently in his. He then knelt down to her eye level and saw that her blue eyes welled up with tears when they met his emerald green ones. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I want you to let me through to the real you, and I have a feeling that you want that, too. I've been saying for a while that we could be great friends if you would only let me in, and this is the time, Helga. So let me in and connect with the true you. Stop pushing me away, okay? Because I'm not going anywhere." Helga stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then broke out in punctuated sobs.

"I-I-oh, criminy!" She yelled out between sobs as Arnold leaned in and enveloped her in a gentle hug. He stroked her hair while Helga continued to cry into his shoulder, struck with the guilt over hurting her main reason for living for such a long time and stunned at the realization that Arnold even wanted to be friends with her.

When Helga had finally gotten control of her emotions again, she murmured, "I'm sorry for everything, Arnold. I…I'd definitely like to be friends, but I have to ask you something." Arnold nodded as he gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "Be patient with me. I've acted one way for so long, and it's going to be hard for me to act like myself without being defensive all the time." She exhaled and let out a nervous laugh, proud of herself for being able to admit that she at least wanted to be his friend.

"I think, I can do that," Arnold replied with the smile that Helga absolutely adored. She gave him a soft smile back that made Arnold's cheeks flush a little and feel warm. He shook the feeling off, unsure why they had even occurred. With a gentle pat of her hand, he let go of it and returned to the chair next to the bed. "So, Helga, how is your day going?"

"It'd be going great if I wasn't stuck in this bed with several broken bones and the sun glaring through those windows," Helga said dryly with a smirk. At this Arnold strode across the room and closed the blinds much to Helga's relief. "Thanks, Arnoldo. I was sure to get a nice case of melanoma if those remained open for much longer." Arnold grinned at her then sat back down to a wonderful conversation with the girl that had so long fascinated and confused him. For once she didn't poke fun at him in a petty fashion, but rather she sent along a few playful and friendly jests that made him chuckle. He surprised himself at his ability to shoot a few of his own back at her that made her chortle as well. The rest of the morning was spent with them getting along in a way that they hadn't been able to in a long long time. Silently they both hoped that they would be able to continue getting along in this incredible fashion


End file.
